George Vancouver

George Vancouver could well be the horse to take out of the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville on Sunday. He was always going as fast as he wanted to, but he did pick up nicely through the closing stages to finish second, just three parts of a lengths behind the winner Reckless Abandon, a dual Group 2 winner already who had the run of the race from the front and flush against the near rail.

George Vancouver closed really well through the final furlong from an unpromising position four horses back on the rail. He wasn’t on the near rail initially and had to come off it again to make ground, so all in all, this was a really likeable run.

This was the Henrythenavigator colt’s fourth run, he had only a maiden win from three starts before this to his name, but his two losses were on really soft ground and that just may not have suited him at all. He was well backed on both of those runs, as he was again when he was impressive in winning his maiden on Polytrack at Dundalk last month, and he looked much more at home here on his first run on decent turf.

Neither of the Aidan O’Brien horses appeared to be particularly well-fancied here, Joseph did not travel to France to rider either George Vancouver or Parliament Square, and a run as good as this from the runner-up may not have been a entirely expected.

George Vancouver is bred to improve for stepping up from this six-furlong trip, his dam won a Grade 1 race in America over a mile and a quarter, and he shaped here as if he would be better over a longer trip. He could be aimed at some of the big end-of-season two-year-old races now, and it would be no surprise to see him run really well in the National Stakes or even the Beresford or the Dewhurst.

19th August 2012